Steve hit it on the head IMO. The toad is not much of an issue and you actually have to keep reminding yourself that it is back there at all. Fuel stops always have to be carefully considered and I try to never enter anywhere without know what my exit strategy is.

For the first time in 50,000 miles we had to unhook a couple of weeks ago while fueling in Quebec. I knew my exit route when I entered but while fueling, a truck pulled in and parked in a spot which blocked it. I didn't ask them to move right away because I figured they were only going in to make a quick purchase and would be gone by the time I needed to leave. As luck would have it they all piled out and went to the restaurant next door to have lunch. My French isn't good enough to go into a restaurant and interrupt their meal so I bit the bullet.

I think the biggest challenge of a 40DP comes in where you camp. Most national and many state parks just don't yet have facilities where we'll fit so we nearly always stay at private CGs.

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State and National Parks are the best places to camp in our opinion. We just spent two weeks in The Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky/Virginia border and at Roan Mtn. State Park in Tennessee. We got our 42' coach and crv into both places. I won't say it was easy getting into the area, but it was manageable, we did fit and the parks were exceptionally nice. Had full hookups in Ky/Va and W&E at Roan Mtn with dump station. We have also stayed in many state parks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which were also pristine. When visiting Gettysburg a few weeks ago, we stayed in the "typical" tourist park with our neighbors just out the front door and barely room to put out the slides. We just happen to like the "woods" so to speak and there are many beautiful state and national parks across the county. Never had a problem with our 42' and toad.

State and National Parks are the best places to camp in our opinion. We just spent two weeks in The Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky/Virginia border and at Roan Mtn. State Park in Tennessee. We got our 42' coach and crv into both places. I won't say it was easy getting into the area, but it was manageable, we did fit and the parks were exceptionally nice. Had full hookups in Ky/Va and W&E at Roan Mtn with dump station. We have also stayed in many state parks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which were also pristine. When visiting Gettysburg a few weeks ago, we stayed in the "typical" tourist park with our neighbors just out the front door and barely room to put out the slides. We just happen to like the "woods" so to speak and there are many beautiful state and national parks across the county. Never had a problem with our 42' and toad.

Great to here because we like the woods too and don't really care for the busy RV parks just as you described.

As was discussed previously, length is only one consideration. Once you're in a certain class of coach, the length is only one variable. Ours is 36', but the height, width, turning space required, really isn't any different than the same coach 40' long. When we buy our next coach, the actual length won't matter all that much.

State parks are often unsuitable for our class a's not just because they are too tight for long coaches to maneuver, but often the tree branches hang too low, or there's a tree, or a rock, or a concrete curb sitting right smack dab in the middle of a required turning spot. I don't think these parks were designed with class a diesel pushers at any length in mind.

We have a local RV park with good sites, good hookups, capable of handling any length trailer or RV. The only catch is that to leave, I have to drive our 36' class a over the concrete curb to leave the place. I have seen 45' coaches in there and have often wondered how they leave. I haven't seen any windshields laying on the side of the road, but I keep thinking, what are they thinking when they design these places?

Which makes me think of the last time we tried using the RV fuel lanes at a Flying J. We woke up early with the intent of covering the miles. We stopped at a Flying J for fuel. We went into the RV fuel lane. After we had fueled, we noticed the RV in front of us still had not moved. Then we noticed that there was no activity around it. When we asked the cashier where the people from that RV were, he pointed to the restaurant! They had left their RV parked in the RV fuel lane, and gone to the restaurant for lunch! Finally, eventually, the driver came out and moved his RV.

Then we tried to leave. Just then, a pickup truck and a car zoomed into the parking spots just ahead of us, and we couldn't get out of the RV fueling lane. That's with our coach at 36'. As I was unhooking our toad so I could maneuver out of that spot, the fuel jockey was telling me that only the week before a 45' coach pulling a toad spent the better part of the day getting his rig out of the RV fuel lane, and the fuel jockey thought it was a great joke!

We finally got out of there. It took us more than two hours to get one tank of fuel. It ruined our travel plans for the day. As a result of this experience, we will NEVER AGAIN pull into a RV fuel lane for fuel. We use the truck pumps. In and out, fast and easy, and we're back on the road.

We have been considering a 45' Monaco pulling a 20' cargo trailer. Currently we are at 50' with a Dodge 3500 and 35' 5th wheel.

That 20' trailer bothers the heck out of me and I am only at 34' with out the trailer and your talking 45'. It bothered me so much, I sold my trailer so I would not be tempted to tow it, but I miss taking my off road Grand Cherokee with me like I did with a pickup and camper.

That 20' trailer bothers the heck out of me and I am only at 34' with out the trailer and your talking 45'. It bothered me so much, I sold my trailer so I would not be tempted to tow it, but I miss taking my off road Grand Cherokee with me like I did with a pickup and camper.

The 20' cargo will carry our Lexus RX 350 and extra supplies for work. Worst case we dolly the Lexus.

We use corp and state parks all the time with our 42 ft coach. There is always a site it will fit in. Must be able to let back of coach extend off back of site. The thing we hate the most is they don't often trim the tree's.

The 20' cargo will carry our Lexus RX 350 and extra supplies for work. Worst case we dolly the Lexus.

Well it is not the overall length that bothers me, it is the finding places to park it. There were so many times on our cross country trip and back that all we could find were back in sites. That was why I sold the 20' Car trailer when I got home.

Only if it's front wheel drive. No dolly manufacturer approves towing a rear wheel vehicle backwards on a dolly although you could remove the driveshaft and tow it correctly.

Well I can agree to part of what you are saying here. No one I think would recommend towing a vehicle with steerable wheels on the ground and fixed wheels on a Dolly. But putting a rear wheel drive vehicle on a tow dolly would not in every case required the removal of the drive shaft.

If the rear wheel drive vehicle is a stick shift, just putting it in neutral should take care of things. Or in the case like my Neighbor that has two Jeeps and does not want to spend the money to set both up for 4 down towing, he loads which every he wants on his Dolly, puts the transfer case in neutral and off he goes.

We have been considering a 45' Monaco pulling a 20' cargo trailer. Currently we are at 50' with a Dodge 3500 and 35' 5th wheel.

In my opinion, you have chosen the most awkward & restrictive combination in the RV World.....ok you could have a 30' cargo trailer! Just kidding you, but if you are considering this combination....nothing is going to be easy....getting gas will take planning...finding CG's will take planning...State/National Parks & treed sites will be few & far between. Most people with this combination usually go from A to B and know all their stops...they usually don't do a lot of exploring or adventure traveling off their " predetermined route".

More to the point you are going to be illegal in a whole bunch of States where the max. length is 65'. I would suggest you do some careful measuring before you invest tooooo much $$$$ on this set-up. The State Troopers probably could careless... But what about your Insurance Coverage if "stuff" happens?

If you like State/National Parks or treed sites, I would also suggest you pose a more specific question...."How many people towing a cargo trailer and around 65' in total length find this restrictive." You've got some great responses so far....but a 42' MH towing 4down is totally different from 45' towing a 20' cargo trailer...not a fair comparison in my opinion.

In my opinion, you have chosen the most awkward & restrictive combination in the RV World.....ok you could have a 30' cargo trailer! Just kidding you, but if you are considering this combination....nothing is going to be easy....getting gas will take planning...finding CG's will take planning...State/National Parks & treed sites will be few & far between. Most people with this combination usually go from A to B and know all their stops...they usually don't do a lot of exploring or adventure traveling off their " predetermined route".

More to the point you are going to be illegal in a whole bunch of States where the max. length is 65'. I would suggest you do some careful measuring before you invest tooooo much $$$$ on this set-up. The State Troopers probably could careless... But what about your Insurance Coverage if "stuff" happens?

If you like State/National Parks or treed sites, I would also suggest you pose a more specific question...."How many people towing a cargo trailer and around 65' in total length find this restrictive." You've got some great responses so far....but a 42' MH towing 4down is totally different from 45' towing a 20' cargo trailer...not a fair comparison in my opinion.

Yes I hear ya and agree! Someone posted the state towing laws for RVs and we would have to ditch the cargo and just tow the rx350.

But putting a rear wheel drive vehicle on a tow dolly would not in every case required the removal of the drive shaft.
If the rear wheel drive vehicle is a stick shift, just putting it in neutral should take care of things. Or in the case like my Neighbor that has two Jeeps and does not want to spend the money to set both up for 4 down towing, he loads which every he wants on his Dolly, puts the transfer case in neutral and off he goes.

Not always true for stick shifts either, it depends on how they get lubed. Manual trans depend on oil slung by the gears or "oil slingers" on the shafts. If the gear box is lubed from the output shaft (driven when the rear axle turns) then no problem, but it from the input shaft (turned by the engine running) then no, they can't be towed.

Jeeps with transfer cases can never be dolly towed unless they have freewheeling hubs otherwise the transfer case will be destroyed in very short order.

The 20' cargo will carry our Lexus RX 350 and extra supplies for work. Worst case we dolly the Lexus.

Be Forewarned! Some California CHP make it a special focus on ticketing any RV + towed unit that measures an inch over 65' ~ not only is the ticket nasty, but they force you to drop the towed vehicle and a tow service is required to tow it to their yard for retrieval.